I've been wanting to play around with vertical plantings and arrangements for a while now, so we finally dug in and got one version started.

If you 'make friends' with some of the sign shops in your area...you may discover that they have dumpsters out back filled with interesting treasures...that's where we scored these old letter shells that came down off of some large signage...They're made of metal and deep enough to plant in, and they needless to say make a very interesting container, especially for one we want to hang or rest against a wall.

We filled with potting mix, and then secured a layer of chicken wire cut to the shape and size of our planter. Next, we soaked some spaghnum moss and used that as our next layer, working it into the chicken wire. Finally....we carefully dug through....nipped and tucked at the chicken wire to open up here and there, and planted it up with some low growing plants like hens and chicks and a groundcover -the name is escaping me as I write this..but I think it's creeping thyme.. :)

End result....Love it! Everything is in there nice and snug...should fill in beautifully....it has a bit of weight to it, so not exactly sure if I'll hang it or lean it....and of course to water it, will need to let rest horizontally on occasion, but what's a little extra effort for something unique?! Suppose it would also look cute as a Centerpiece on a table, too...